Death to Smoochy

”No, no…I really liked it.”
“That’s good to hear, since all the critics have said that is awful.”
“Naw, it’s good. Well, good in that sick and depraved sort of way. If you’re into that sort of thing, which, clearly I am.”

When Rainbow Randolph gets busted by the feds for accepting a bribe, his network fires him, kicks him out of his posh corporate apartment, and is dead set on finding a squeaky clean replacement to fill the time slot.

His show, Smoochy’s Magic Jungle, is a huge success, much to the chagrin of Rainbow Randolph. Randolph’s attempts to thwart Smoochy’s success include a cookie switch (“It’s…a…SPACESHIP!”) and nearly committing suicide through self-immolation.

DeVito’s movies (think War of the Roses or Throw Momma from the Train) don’t tend to be bright or cheery, and Death to Smoochy is no exception. After seeing it, I have trouble understanding why critics have given it such poor reviews. Ebert only gave it half a star in his review. Still, there is a certain amount of relief to seeing Williams playing the bad guy for once.

And besides, there should be more movies that involve singing and dancing midgets.